9 Best Practices for Senior Living Community Websites
Choosing a senior living community is among the most sensitive, emotional, and impactful decisions individuals and their families will ever face. For seniors and their adult children, a community’s website is often the first and most influential impression, making thoughtful design and content creation crucial.
The right website shouldn’t only be informative, but it must also build trust, create an emotional connection, and guide visitors gently along a journey that respects the gravity of the decision at hand.
Senior living communities face the unique challenge of marketing to two very distinct audiences: seniors exploring living options for themselves and adult children who may be helping or even leading the decision process. Each audience has distinct needs, fears, and motivations. Understanding these nuances deeply impacts the way a senior living website should be structured, designed, and communicated.
Below is an in-depth exploration of 10 best practices specifically tailored for senior living websites, drawing from successful communities that are respecting the user experience and enhancing their engagement simultaneously.
1. Make the site simple to use
All websites need to have the user experience in mind when deciding on the structure, the placement of content, and the path they want clients to take. For senior living communities this is even more important as website owners should be considering clarity, ease of use, and emotional reassurance as well.
Websites like Clark Retirement exemplify this by organizing their navigation bar with clear labels such as “Living Options,” “Lifestyle,” and “Resources.” Users can also see where they can schedule a tour and a simple scroll below the line shows the living options available. By doing so, Clark speaks directly to the user’s needs, rather than using industry terms that may confuse or alienate visitors.
Some senior users may face visual or cognitive challenges, and younger adult children often appreciate straightforward, streamlined information that helps them quickly address questions about care, costs, and lifestyle. Adopting large fonts, high-contrast colors, and clear spacing of content, as seen on Prairie Landing’s website, greatly improves readability and reduces frustration.
A strong senior living website structures its content around frequently asked questions. What services are offered? How much does it cost? What are the living arrangements like? By clearly answering these common queries through intuitive navigation, websites facilitate a smoother visitor experience.
2. Strategic and empathetic calls to action
The emotional nature of senior living decisions demands thoughtful CTAs, rather than aggressive prompts like “Sign Up Now.” Communities see better engagement with supportive requests for action such as “Schedule Your Visit” or “Speak with a Senior Living Advisor.” The goal is to reassure visitors that exploring further is safe, non-committal, and beneficial to their decision-making process.
Wesley Manor integrates subtle yet effective CTAs across their website, such as inviting visitors to “Learn More About Our Lifestyle.” By testing different phrasing, communities can discover which terms resonate best. Empathetic language that emphasizes support and information consistently outperforms generic or sales-driven phrases.
CTAs should also be contextually relevant. For example, placing a tour invitation on housing or community pages makes intuitive sense. A financial planning download may be most effective next to pricing details. Strategic placement helps visitors feel supported at each stage, not pressured.
3. Accessibility & prominent contact information
Accessibility is foundational for senior living websites as some of the people looking for information may not be able to move around the site as easily as others. Here are some ways website owners can ensure everyone can find what they need.
Keyboard navigation
Ensure your website can be navigated entirely by keyboard alone. Many seniors rely on keyboard-only navigation due to mobility impairments, arthritis, or difficulty using a mouse.
Alt text for images
Provide clear and descriptive alt text for images. Screen readers used by visually impaired seniors rely heavily on this to describe images and provide context.
Video and audio accessibility
Always provide accurate captions or transcripts for all video and audio content, ensuring deaf or hearing-impaired seniors have full access to information, testimonials, and virtual tours.
Screen reader compatibility
Ensure compatibility with common screen readers (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) by properly structuring headings, labeling form fields, and using ARIA landmarks, making content easily interpretable by visually impaired visitors.
Clear, predictable navigation structure
Implement clear, consistent website navigation with descriptive labels and straightforward pathways, avoiding dropdown menus or hover-only interactions that might pose challenges for seniors using assistive technology or dealing with cognitive impairments.
4. Visual storytelling that creates emotional connections
Effective senior living websites must do more than tell; they must also show. Authentic images and compelling videos create an emotional connection with prospects. Rather than relying on stock photography, communities like The Barrington utilize genuine photos of real residents engaging in actual daily life.
Professional video tours and resident testimonials add another layer of emotional depth. Videos let visitors see and feel what life within the community is truly like. Such content helps break down barriers, giving prospects and their families a reassuring glimpse into a positive future.
5. Clearly articulating the value proposition
Potential residents and families are going to visit multiple senior living websites before making a decision. Clearly communicating what sets your community apart from others is essential. But you must do this without tearing rivals down. Whether highlighting unique programs like Clark Retirement’s Montesorri for Ageing and Dementia Program or emphasizing lifestyle features like Prairie Landing’s extensive wellness amenities, clearly defined differentiators create confidence.
Care options should always be presented transparently. Families often approach these decisions overwhelmed, so clear, digestible presentations of available care, with examples of daily life and routines, go a long way toward alleviating anxiety.
6. Building trust through social proof
Testimonials and reviews significantly impact senior living decisions. Prospective families seek reassurance that their loved ones will receive excellent care, enjoy a positive social environment, and feel genuinely at home.
Effective senior living websites prominently display resident and family testimonials. Rather than general praise, successful sites such as Wesley Manor focus on detailed, story-based testimonials addressing common concerns: social isolation, quality of care, or transitioning from home life to community living.
Communities that proactively encourage and display these reviews send a powerful message of transparency and trustworthiness.
7. Speaking directly to your audiences
Senior living decisions involve multiple stakeholders. Adult children often prioritize safety, care quality, and costs, while seniors themselves may focus on community engagement, independence, or amenities. Effective senior living websites tailor content for both groups, creating clear, distinct pathways of information.
This is especially indicative of the difference between the way that memory care and assisted living content is structured and how independent living content is shown to users.
Westminster Village North does an exceptional job separating content aimed at adult children from that aimed directly at seniors, addressing their distinct needs and concerns. By understanding these audiences deeply and crafting user personas, communities can provide content that resonates emotionally and practically.
8. Content marketing with SEO optimization
Senior living communities benefit tremendously from a content marketing strategy that combines SEO with genuine educational value. Clark Retirement posts regular blog content that addresses topics such as navigating dementia care, financial planning, or downsizing tips. By doing so, they position themselves as helpful authorities to Google and are more likely to appear in search engine results pages.
Effective SEO ensures that potential residents and families find your website when searching online. Focusing on local SEO by using keywords like “senior living communities in [your city]” or “assisted living near me,” significantly enhances online visibility. Additionally, creating dedicated landing pages for each care type, service, or location offered can increase search ranking and provide detailed information visitors seek.
9. Measuring your success
Monitoring your incoming traffic and measuring key performance indicators allows you to define your strategy more clearly. Using tools like Google Analytics 4, senior living communities can track essential metrics, such as tour requests, lead magnet downloads, and visitor behaviors.
These insights help website owners to continually refine website content playing into user preferences with precision. If, for example, your site is showing a significant increase in traffic to a retirement planning calculator, it is obvious that this type of content is interesting to your audience. In response, you can promote the existing content on social media, create more content like it, or run a paid ad to drive even more traffic towards it.
Without understanding what behavior your target audience is exhibiting, you can’t expect to create content that will hit the mark. Play close attention to your analytics and act accordingly.
Enhance your senor living website’s performance with Tiny Blue Sky
A successful senior living website balances empathy with clarity, education with guidance, and emotional connection with practical information. Regular audits and continual content improvements ensure your site remains effective at engaging both seniors and their families.
If you’re ready to create a meaningful online experience, drive more inquiries, tours, and convert prospects into satisfied residents contact us at Tiny Blue Sky.
